All I'm looking for is 18-20 wins.
Tbh, I'm not high on the hire due to Lucas's inexperience & the fact that he's heralded as a recruiter coming from powerhouse programs that literally recruit themselves.
I think CBB is very much still a Coaches game, where understanding X's & O's, situational awareness, late game strategy & overall IQ of the game are more important than just having a bunch of talented players. In CBB, every possession counts, you need an architect who can manufacture the mean to a net positive when the talent cancels each other out. We've seen with Calipari's Kentucky teams, the absolute most stacked rosters on a yearly basis & still figured out some way to lose in the tourney.
With that said, I'm interested to see which side of the spectrum that Jai ends up on. What kind of Offense we'll be running & how he's able to map out possessions on the white board that gets our guys buckets in a critical moments. Or will he be the kinda coach that just gives the ball to the best player & tells him to go make something happen.
If he could hit the 20 win benchmark in year 1, that would bode well for his success moving forward.
I don't see a quick 1 year turn around like LVille's, completely different situations & circumstances. Pat Kelsey was an experienced highly savvy excellent coach who had won everywhere he'd been prior to getting the LVille job. This is Jai's first HC job ever.
And especially considering what appears to be a heavy emphasis on HS recruits, I don't think it would even be possible to put together a 20+ win season in year 1, unless Jai Lucas is the best kept secret in CBB & an absolute genius.
